Collar former



willIll Oct. 30; 1956 R. .1. Ril-:CK

COLLAR FORMER Filed March l, 1954' 5 Sheets-Sheet l ,Illlllxl www Olct. 30, 1956 F. .1. RlEcK 2,768,774

COLLAR FORMER 'Filed Maron 1, 1954 5 sheets-sheet 2 Oct. 30, 1956 Filed March l, 1954 R. J. RIECK COLLAR FORMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

En? @m Oct. 30, 1956 R. J. RlEcK 2,768,774

COLLAR FORMER Filed March l, 1954 5 SheetS-Sheeb 4 IN V EN TOR.

Oct. 3o, 1956 R. J. RlEcK COLLAR FORMER VENTOR. c@

KW@ cy@ L/Mc M' MVL MMV Filed March l, 1954 United States Patent COLLAR FORMER Roy J. Rieck, Chicago, Ill., assignor to G. H. Bishop Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Iliinois Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,245

7 Claims. (Cl. 223-521) This invention relates to a collar former and more particularly to an expansible collar former used in commercial laundries and the like to facilitate folding of garments, such as mens sport shirts, which have soft nonstand-up type collars.

In the construction of present day sport shirts, the body of the shirt is normally joined to the collar along a seam, commonly referred to as the size line.

as a neckband found on dress shirts, is incorporated in the shirt, adjacent this seam, which will give the collar a stand-up appearance. Thus, with shirts of this type, it is necessary that the collar former, when inserted within the collar opening and in expanded relation, conforms readily to the contour or shape of the size line so that no wrinkling or distorting of the collar occurs which will -impair the finished appearance of the shirt. Because of the differences in collar constructions between the conventional sport and dress shirts, as above noted, the collar foi-mers designed to accommodate the latter type shirts are not readily adapted for use with sport shirts. Because of this fact and also due to the fact that sport shirts are becoming increasingly more popular in mens fashions, the problem of expediting the folding operation of such garments has become of paramount concern.

Various collar formers for use with garments having nonstand-up type collars, have heretofore been proposed which are bulky, complex, and costly in design and-in addition cause the body of the shirt adjacent the size line to become wrinkled or distorted.

Thus it is one of th'e objects of this invention to provide a collar former which is adapted to accommodate soft nonstand-up type collars which vary widely in size, without any wrinkling or distortion of the collar occurring.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a collar former which, when expanded, will engage only the size line of the garment and will not extend into the body of the garment so as to cause wrinkling or distortion thereof.

lt is a further object of this invention to provide a collar former which greatly facilitates the folding of nonstand-up collar type garments.

lt is a still further object of this invention to provide a collar former which is simple and compact in construction, etfective in operation, and inexpensive to produce.

Further and additional objects of this invention will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention a collar former is provided comprising a base and an expansible and contractible collar mold :assembly mounted on said base for insertion within a collar opening having a predetermined size line. The collar mold assembly includes a pair of side units mounted on said base for movement toward and away from each other,

No ad ditional piece of stiifening or reinforcing material, suchV 2,768,774 Patented oct. 3o, 1956 and a center unit mounted on said base and disposed intermediate the side units. The center unit is provided with a laterally extending nose having the upper edge thereof angularly disposed with respect to the base and in contact with a portion of the size line of the collar opening, in which said collar mold assembly is disposed, whereby the collar opening size line is caused to move along said upper edge away from said base upon expansion of said collar mold assembly.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference should be made to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shirt folding table incorporating the improved collar former;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan View of the collar former taken normal to the inclined surface of the table top and showing the collar former in a contracted position;

Fig. 3 is like Fig. 2 but showing the collar former in an expanded position;

Fig. 4 is a front View of the collar former shown in Fig. 2 and showing a shirt collar positioned thereon;

Fig. 5 is like Fig. 4 but showing the collar former in an expanded position;

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the collar former shown in Fig. 2; l

Fig. 7 is like Fig. 6 but showing the collar former in an expanded position;

Figs. 8 and 9 are front views of the protuberance forming a part of the collar former shown respectively in a contracted .and an expanded position;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of a modified form of collar former showing the protuberance thereof in expanded relation;

Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the modified form of collar former shown in Fig. l0;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the modified form of collar former taken .along line 12-12 of Fig. l0; and

Fig. 13 is similar to Fig. 12 showing the adapter piece therefor in an inverted position from that shown in Fig. 12.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, one form of the improved collar former 10 is shown incorporated in a shirt folding table 11. The table 11 in this instance consists of a top 12 having the upper surface 13 thereof inclined downwardly toward the operator folding the shirt or garment, an upright support 14 for said top wherein the latter may be adjusted in a vertical direction to accommodate the physical requirements of the operator, and a pedestal or standard 1S for the support. Projecting outwardly from the front side of the pedestal 15 is .a foot pedal 16 which is operatively connected by means of a connecting rod 17 to the collar former 10 disposed within top 12 to effect contraction and/or expansion of a portion of the collar former to be discussed more fully hereinafter. The collar former 10, as seen in Fig. l, is disposed at an incline corresponding to the inclination of surface 13 and is positioned within an opening 18 formed in said surface 13. The collar former 10 is recessed a slight amount with respect to 'the plane of surface 13 (see Figs. l, 4 and 5).

The improved collar former 10, which forms the subject matter of this invention, is adapted for use primarily with garments such as sport shirts which have soft nonstand-up type of collars 19a. As an aid in folding a shirt, th'e new collar former is provided with hinged plate 20. A shirt 19 of this type has the body portion 19b thereof secured by stitching to the collar 19a to form fa seam 19e, commonly referred to in the trade as a size line of the shirt (see Figs. 4 and 5). The size line or seam 19C determinesy the neck size of the collar and is relatively narrow in shape so as to give the collar a soft nonstand-up appearance.

The collar expander is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 through 9 and is mounted on a base plate 21 which is secured by any suitable means to the underside of inclined surface 13 and is disposed in registered relation with respect to the openings 13 formed in the top 12. The base surface 21v of the plate 21 is disposed withina plane substantially parallel to the plane of surface 13. Mounted on and extending transversely from base surface 21' is an expansible and contractible collar mold assembly 22 which comprises a center unit 22a and a pair of side units 22b and 22e, the latter being disposed on opposite sides of center unit 22a. T he units 22a, 22b, and 22C of collar mold assembly 22 are preferably made of a metallic material having a high degree of heat` conductivity.

The center unit 22a is mounted in a stationary position on base surface 2l by screws 23 or any other suitable means. A portion of each of the opposing side sections of the center unit 22a is. provided with a recess 24 which is adapted to accommodate a complemental section 30 of the adjacent side unit 22b or 22c`(Fig. 3) when the collor mold assembly assumes a contracted position. The rear part 25 of center unit 22a, as seen more clearly in Fig. 3, has the exposed back surface 2S thereof inclined forwardly and upwardly from the base surface 21v at lapproximately 80' with respect to the base surface (Figs. 4 and 5). The degree of inclination, however, of the back surface 25 may be greater or less than 80, depending upon the styling of the collar 19a. In this instance, the inclination is 80 because it appears to be average for most shirts of this type. The front part 26 of the center unit, on the other hand, extends substantially perpendicular from base surface 21 and is provided with a forwardly extending nose 26 having the upper edge 27 thereof inclined upwardly and rearwardly from its forward end adjacent the surface 21 and at an angle A of approximately 2G, as seen in Fig. 5. The upper edge 27 is engaged by the front portion of the size line of the shirt 19, when the latter is positioned face down on the surface 13 of the table for folding and the collar 19a thereof projected into opening 18 and into encompassing relation with collar mold assembly 22 when the latter is in a contracted position (see Fig. 4). As noted in Fig. 4, the front portion of the shirt size line 19C contacts the upper edge 27 of the nose 26 at a point between the top and bottom extremities of the edge, whereby a substantial portion of the collar mold assembly extends through the collar opening into the body of the shirt. When the collar mold assembly 22, however, is expanded-that is to say, the foot pedal 16 is. released and side units 22b and 22e` resume their normal spaced relation with respect to the center unit 22a, as shown in Fig. 3-the contacting front portion of the size line 19C will automatically travel upwardly along the upper edge 2,7 of the nose 26 until it engages a shoulder or chin 28 formed about the upper edge of the front section 26 of the center unit 22a. The shoulder or chin 28 extends partially into the exposed side sections of the sidey units 22h and 22e. It will be noted, therefore, that when `the collar mold assembly 22 is expanded within the collar opening, the front portion of the collar slides up along the upper front portion of the collar mold assembly 22 yand thus the possibility of wrinkling or 'distorting the shirt body 19h has been avoided.

The, side units 22b and 22e1 are of similar construction and have the inner opposing surfaces 30 thereof, as heretofore noted, shaped to conform substantially to the contour of the recesses 24 formed in the opposing sides of the center unit 22a. Thus when the side units 22b and 22e are in contracted relation with respect to the center unit 22a, the outer exposed section or surface of eachof the side units assumes a ush relation with the 4. adjacent exposed surface of the front section 26 of the center unit 22a thereby facilitating positioning of the collar 19a on or removing it from the collar mold assembly 22. Secured to the rear surface 22h' or 22e of each side unit, which is inclined in the same manner as rear surface 25 of center unit 22a, is a thin elongated flat tongue 29 which extends laterally therefrom in a direction towards the other side unit and is adapted to have the free end thereof sandwiched between the inclined rear surface 25' of the center unit 22a and a guard piece 29 which is mounted on the rear part 25 of thecenter unit. The tongue 29 is adapted to slide out from behind the guard piece as the side unit moves away from center unit 22a thereby providing a continuous back surface. This continuous back surface is engaged by the rear of the collar 19a and thus prevents any bulges from appearing or forming in the collar. A flat plate 31 is secured to the upper surface of center unit 22a and is substantially triangular in shape (Figs. 2 and 3), thereby conforming to the shape of the upper surface of the collar mold assembly when the latter is in a contracted position. The plate 31 is adapted to provide a. smooth surface upon which a portion of the shirt body 19b may rest when the collar 19a is brought into encompassing relation with the collar mold assembly. Side units 22b and 22C and center unit 22a are provided with heating units which may vary in number if so desired. For example, each of the side units 22b and 22e is provided with a bore 32 or pocket accessible from the underside thereof, in which is positioned an electrically energized heater element 33 (see Figs. 4 land 7). A similar bore or pocket, not shown, is formed in center unit 22a, in which is positioned a heater element 33', as seen in Figs. 4 and 7. The heater elements 33 and 33 are connected by suitable leads 33a to a source of electrical energy. The effect of the heater units 33 and 33 is that when the collar mold assembly 22 is expanded within the collar opening, better shaping or ironing of the collar is obtained by reason of the heated units 22a, 22b, and 22C. The side units 221) and 22C are each provided with a depending stud 34 and 35', respectively, which is adapted to extend through one of the elongated slots 36 `and 37, respectively, formed in base surface 2l. The stud 34 or 35 is engaged by the bifurcated end of one arm 38a or 40a of the bell crank levers 38 and 40, respectively, which are pivotally mounted at points 41 and 42 on the underside of base surface 2l', as seen more clearly in Figs. 6 land 7. The other legs 3Sb and 40h of bell crank levers 38' and 49, respectively, likewise have bifurcated outer ends which are adapted to embrace a common stud 43 which is mounted on and extends downwardly from an elongated arm 44, the latter being slidvably mounted on the underside of plate 21 (Fig. 5). The arm 44 is limited to linear movement by guides 4S and 46 which are secured by screws or any other suitable means to the underside of plate 2l. Guide 45, as seen more clearly in Figs. 6 and 7, is disposed crosswise with respect to the direction of travel of arm 44 and has each of the outer side portions thereof provided with an elongated slot 47 which is disposed in registered relation with respect to the slot 36 or 37 formed in base surface 21. The slots 47 enable the studs 34 and 35 and heater elements 33 of the side units 22b and 22e to projecty below the underside of base surface 21. One end of arm 44, in this case the right-hand end, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, is provided with a depending lug 48, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to an elongated actuator rod 50, as seen more clearly in Figs. 4 through 7. The rod 50 extends through a bifurcated depending portion 46' of guide 46 and is embraced for substantially its full extent by a coiled spring S1 which is under cornpression at all times between a washer S2, which is loosely mounted at one end of the rod and is adapted to rest against one side of the bifurcated depending portion 46' of guide 46, and a nut 53 which is threadably i'lnted ori the opposite end of the rod. The effect of the spring 51 is to normally urge the rod 50 to move to the left, as viewed in Figs. 4 and 5. The threaded end of the rod, in turn, is pivotally connected to a lever 54, which is provided with an upwardly or transversely extending arm portion 55, the latter being pivot-ally connected at its free end 56 to a portion of plate 21. The left end of the lever 54, not shown, is adapted to engage the connecting rod 17 (see Fig. 1), the latter being connected to the foot pedal 16. While actuator rod 50 is shown in this instance to be actu-ated manually through lever 54, rod 17, and foot pedal 16, it is to be understood, of course, that some other means may be utilized to effect this actuation, for example, pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical power. Due to the urging by spring 51 of the rod 50 to the left (see Figs. 4 and 5), the yarm 44, in turn, is urged in the same direction whereby the bell crank levers 38 and 40 simultaneously transmit the linear movement of the arm to the side units 22b and 22e thereby causing the latter to move outwardly away from the adjacent sides of the center units 22a until they reach the position, as seen in Fig. 3.! When a downward force is applied to pedal 16, the lever 54 is caused to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about free end 56 as an axis and the rod 50, in turn, is moved to the right, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Movement of rod 50 in this direction causes arm 44 to move in substantially the same direction whereupon the side units 22b and 22C move simultaneously toward the center unit 22a until they assume a` relative position, as Shown in Fig. 2.A The collar mold assembly 22 in this position is fully contracted thereby enabling the collar 19a of the shirt or garment 19 to be readily moved by the operator into or out of encompassing relation with respect thereto. Upon pressure on the foot pedal being released, however, the size line 19C of the garment 19 adjusts itself in a manner as heretofore discussed with respect to the perimeter of the upper surface of the collar mold assembly.

The corresponding back side portion of each of the side units, as seen more clearly in Figs. 8 and 9, is inclined in a direction approximately 12 with respect to the vertical so that the upper surface of the side unit assumes an overhanging relation. The effect of the overhanging relation is that when the collar mold assembly is expanded, the back portion of the collar 19a will not become disengaged or slip off the collar mold assembly. This overhanging relation, however, of the exposed side surfaces of the side units gradually decreases as you -approach the front of the collar mold assembly. As heretofore indicated, the exposed surface of the front section 26 of the center unit 22a is disposed at substantially a perpendicular position with respect to the base surface 21'. The yangular disposition or inclination of thel back, side and front surfaces of the collar mold assembly are such as to conform to the natural shape of the collar 19a of the shirt so that no distortion or wrinkling thereof occurs when the collar mold assembly is moved to its expanded position.

A modified form of collar mold assembly 57 is shown in Figs. through 13, wherein in place of the whole center unit 58 remaining in a fixed position with respect to base surface 21 as in the case of the collar mold assembly 22 heretofore described, it is adapted to have the front portion 58m thereof move in a forward direction-that is, to the left, as viewed in Fig. IO--Simultaneously with or independently of the movement of the side units 22b and 22C to an expanded position. Furthermore, if so desired, the center unit portion 58a is adapted to remain in a fixed position with respect to the base surface 21 while the side units 22b and 22C are moved to expanded and contracted positions. The arrangement of these units with respect to movability and adjustability may obviously be changed if so desired.

Center unit 58 includes a rear portion 58b which is secured directly to base surface 21' and remains in a xed position regardless of the manner in which the front portion 58a is adjusted. The at plate 31, heretofore described for the collar mold assembly 22, is secured to the rear portion 5811 of the center unit 58. Aside from the fact that center unit 58 incorporates a front and a rear portion, the peripheries of the center and side units of the collar mold Iassemblies 22 and 57 are the same and therefore a detailed description thereof has been omitted.

To permit simultaneous movement of the front portion 58a of the modied center unit 58, the elongated arm 44 heretofore described for collar mold assembly 22 and disposed on the underside of base surface 21', has now been replaced by an arm 60 of greater length (see Fig. 1l) having the front end 60a thereof provided with an elongated slot 61 which is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the arm 60. The arm 60 is supported at its front and rear by guide brackets 62 and 46, respectively. The arm 60 is provided with depending stud 73 mounted on the rear portion in a manner as described for stud 43 on arm 44 and is adapted to effect simultaneous movement of the sideunits 22b and 22C through the pair of bell crank lever arms 38 and 40 upon longitudinal movement of arm 60. The elongated slot 61 formed in arm 60 is adapted to accommodate a depending stud 63 formed on the underside of center unit portion 58a. The stud 63 is adapted to extend through an elongated slot 64 formed in base surface 21. The length of slot 64 determines the limits of travel of the center unit portion 58a. Slots 61 and 64 are in alignment with one another, as seen in Figs. l0, 12 and 13, and the latter slot is the slightly wider one of the two. The shank of depending stud 63 is adapted to receive an adapter piece 65 and a wing nut 66 which is threadably mounted on the end of the stud and is adapted to retain said adapter piece 65 in place on said stud 63. The adapter piece 65, as seen in enlarged view in Figs. 12 and 13, permits center unit portion 58a to move simultaneously with or independently of the side units 22b and 22e, depending upon which side of the adapter piece 65 is disposed adjacent the underside of base surface 21. One side 65a of the adapter piece 65 is provided with a center rib 67 which is adapted to extend into slot 61 of arm 60 when the piece 65 is assembled in a manner A as shown in Fig. 12. The opposite side 65b of the piece 65 is provided with a pair of parallel grooves 68a and 68]; which are separated from one another by rib 70, the later protruding beyond the plane of the side 65b. When the adapter piece 65 is assembled in position B (see Fig. 13), and the nut 66 is drawn up tight on the stud 63, the rib 70 extends through slot 61 and into slot 64 and the underside of center unit portion 58a contacts the exposed side of base surface 21 whereby the center unit portion 58a remains in a fixed position while arm 60 reciprocates back and forth to effect expansion or contaction of the side units 22b and 22C. As noted in Fig. 13, the grooves 68a and 68b are of sucident width and depth so as to permit free movement of the arm 60 relative to piece 65, when the latter is in position B. When the adapter piece 65 is in position A, a spacer 71 is utilized which embraces the shank of stud 63 and is disposed between the upper surface of arm 60 and the underside of center unit portion 58a. The width of spacer 71, as seen in Fig. 12, is less than the width of slot 64 formed in base surface 21', and greater than the width of slot 61 formed in arm 60. When the adapter piece 65 is in position A and nut 66 is drawn up tight on the stud 63,' the center unit portion 58a is responsive to the longitudinal movement of arm 60. When, however, the adapted piece 65 is in position B, the spacer 71 is omitted to permit the underside of the center unit portion 58a to contact the exposed side of base surface 21.

By reason of the slot 61 formed in arm 60, it is possible for the operator to vary the length of travel of the center unit portion 58a,l as well as the terminall point when the collar form assembly 5,7 is expanded or contracted; Thus,V with themodified collar form assembly 57 soft nonstand-up collar garments, varying over a wide range of styles and sizes, may be readily accommodated. Furthermore, by reason of the adjustable features of the modified collar form. assembly 57, the shape of the collar opening may be varied, depending upon the appearance desiredl when the garment is in folded condition.

Thus, it is believed that a collar former 1t) or 57 has been provided which is adapted primarily for accommodating soft nonstand-up type collars and which will not cause any distortion or wrinkling thereof to occur when the collar former is in expanded position. Furthermore, a collar former has been provided which greatly facilitates the folding operation of sport shirts or similar garments and which is simple, compact and inexpensive inl construction and may comprise any number of units which maybemovable and adjustable, or, if not all movable, with more than one or two units stationary and yadjustable.

While several embodiments of this invention are shown above, it will beunderstood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many additional moditications may be made, and it is comtemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. In a collar molding machine having an cxpansible block assembly for shaping a collar, the combination of a pair of side blocks movable to` and from each other, and a front block disposed symmetrically with respect to said side blocks, said side blocks being shaped so that the block surfaces thereof contacting the collar for shaping the same extends ,inwardlyy toward the bottcm of the block, said front block having a front surface for engaging the inside of the collar band corresponding to the region where the collar button is at the front of the shirt, said front block front surface extending upwardly and rearwardly of the block, said front block having an overhanging ange at the top thereof, said various blocks having the tops thereof generally at with the garment containing the collar to be shaped disposed so that said blocks project into the region within the collar, said blocks upon expansion of the assembly being adapted to tension the collar and the side blocks and front block being so shaped as to position the collar properly while preventing the collar from, slipping from the blocks.

2. For use in a garment collar-shaping machine of the type having an cxpansible and contractible shaping block assembly, a front block for use on the inside of the front portion of the collar neckband, said front block comprising a base and a shaping block portion extending above the base, said shaping block portion having a front surface adapted to engage the portion of the collar where the collar button is located, said front surface extending upwardly and rearwardly of the block and said block having an overhanging flange at the top whereby a collar tensioned on said block surface will slide to a certain predetermined position with the flange preventingY the collar from sliding free of said shaping block.

3. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said shaping block has the shaping portion thereof in the form of a relatively, thin, nose.

4. In a garment collar-shaping machine, the combination of a block assembly having a pair of side blocks movable to and from each other and having a front block symmetrically disposed with respect to said side blocks, a member extending beneath said front block and movable longitudinally for operating said side blocks to move the same to and from each other, manual means for locking said front block to said member so that said front block may move to and from the line of travel of said side blocks with movement of said side blocks andl manual means for lockingy said front block to a stationary portion of said machine for permitting said front block to remain fixed during movement of said side blocks.

5. The construction according to claim 4 wherein means are provided for limiting the movement of said front block when said front block is locked to said member.

6. In a garment collar-shaping machine, the combination of a block assembly having a pair of side blocks movable to-and from each other and having a front block symmetrically disposed with respect to said side blocks, an elongatedl member extending in a direction perpendicular to the line joining the side blocks, means for mounting said member to be movable lengthwise thereof, means connecting said side blocks to said member so that movement of said member results in movement of said side blocks, a stationary base member disposed adjacent said elongated member, clamping means carried by said front block and means for selectively coupling said clamping member to said stationary base member or to said elongated member for determining whether said front block will be stationary when said side blocks are moved4 or will move along a line perpendicular to the line joining said side blocks.

7. The construction according to claim 6 wherein said stationary base member has an elongated slot and is disposed between said front block and said elongated member, said elongated member having an elongated slot registering with the slot in said1base member, a bolt carried by said front block and extending through said two slots, a generally U-shaped member carried by said bolt, said U-shaped member being reversible and adapted to couple said bolt to said elongated member or to said stationary member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,079 Waream et al. Aug. 3l, 1-920 2,192,786 Campbell Mar. 5, 1940A 2,367,261 Bicknell et al. lan. 16, 1945 2,504,934 Luke Apr. 18, 1950 2,665,039 Neckel Ian. 5, 1954 

